Vandalized Romanian Jewish cemetery restored

(JTA) — A Romanian Jewish cemetery vandalized more than two years ago has been restored.

The largest Jewish cemetery in the Romanian capital of Bucharest was rededicated Monday after some 131 gravestones were toppled and smashed on Oct. 22, 2008, the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.

The restoration was carried out by the Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania with the assistance of a $46,000 grant from the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of American’s Heritage Abroad.

More than 40,000 Jews are buried in the south Bucharest cemetery, including Holocaust victims.